Far Worse Games
by mellarkypeeta
Summary: Every year a Victory Banquet is held to honor those who fought in the rebellion. This year things do not go as planned.
1. The Beginning

"Katniss"

"Katniss"

I open my eyes to find myself in a grassy clearing. The sky is blue and the sun is bright and there are flowers all around me. It's peaceful here, and I wonder how I got here.

"Katniss," the voice is louder now. I whip around to see where it's coming from but I am alone.

"Katniss," the voice is sweet and clear, almost like a child's. Almost like..

"Katniss," the voice shrieks and I have just enough time to turn when I see her, spear through her stomach, the light leaving her eyes.

"Rue," I call, although there is nothing I can do. I've relived this moment a thousand times and every time she is beyond saving.

I go to her, and like every time before this, she asks me to sing for her.

"Yes, yes of course I'll sing for you," I say, and even though I've done this before it doesn't hurt any less.

Soft but clear I start, "Deep in the meadow, under the willow."

"A bed of grass a soft green pillow.

Lay down your head, and close your eyes, and when again they open the sun will rise."

At this point she's joined in singing, which is unusual but calming.

"Here it's safe, and here it's warm."

I have to close my eyes because I'm crying.

"Here the daisies guard you from every harm. Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true."

Suddenly she's stopped singing. At first I think she's gone, but I open my eyes and she's staring right at me. Her eyes are wide with fear and I whip around.

I see her just as Rue whispers my name. She draws her bow back and tears prick my eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask her.

She doesn't answer and I notice her eyes aren't the same. They are jet black instead of her usual light blue. I'm about to call to her but instead I scream as her arrow pierces my heart.

I jump up and Peeta is there beside me in bed.

"Katniss it's okay. Katniss it was just a dream. You're okay. I'm here."

I stop screaming but it still takes me a while to calm down. I keep reliving the dream. Rue's face is fresh in my mind.

Peeta is holding me and my breathing is slowing. On his arms I can smell cinnamon and paint. I wonder when he was painting.

"Are you ready?" He asks. Every time one of us wakes up from a nightmare we recite the same thing, to remind us of what we have and where we are. I nod.

"My name is Katniss Mellark. I am 23 years old. I am married to Peeta Mellark. We've been married for three years. We live in District 12. We are safe. The war has been over for five years. We are free now. There is no more Games and there is no President Snow," I say with ease, I say this quite frequently considering I have a nightmare almost every night.

"Good Katniss. Do you want to talk about it?" He asks. I nod. I tell him about the dream and he listens. When I'm done he asks who shot me. I look down, afraid to look in his eyes when I tell him. I pause, and he grabs my hand and rubs circles on it.

"Prim," I finally say so quietly only he can hear, although it doesn't matter because we are alone in our room. He doesn't reply and instead pulls me close. We stay like that for a long time and soon I notice it's dawn.

"Peeta, you should get ready for work," Peeta owns the new bakery which is in the same spot as the old one. He has three other boys working for him, but two are still in school and only work in the afternoon. The other man is from District 13 and works on weekends. The bakery is his second job. Peeta always opens the store on weekdays and has the weekends off.

"Okay Katniss," he kisses me and gets out of bed to take a shower. I climb out of bed to make breakfast for him. I walk downstairs thinking about if he'd want bacon or sausage with his eggs. I hear the shower turn off as I finish making breakfast (I figured he'd want bacon) and lay it on the table. I go to clean up when I notice the white envelope on the counter. It's the same one we get every year and Haymitch must've dropped it off. I ignore it for now and clean up the pan. Peeta comes downstairs in his work clothes and kisses me before sitting down to eat. Since the war, he's gained more muscle than he's ever had and his skin is tanner from working in the sun to rebuild the district. Not to mention the six pack he has. He's very handsome, if I do say so myself.

I suddenly remember the letter and hand it to Peeta. We already know what it says so there's no point in opening it but he does anyway.

"To Mr. And Mrs. Peeta Mellark,

We would like you to attend the 5th annual Victory Banquet. All expenses will be covered by the Capitol. A train will arrive in District 12 on Sunday to collect you and Mr. Abernathy. You will be escorted to the Gateway Hotel where you will stay on the same floor as our other honorary guests. On Tuesday night at five o clock the banquet will be held. You will receive further instructions when you arrive. We look forward to seeing you both.

Sincerely,

President Paylor"

When Peeta finishes reading the letter he looks up at me. Today is Friday, we are leaving in two days.

"Katniss..." He starts, and I notice he sounds exasperated.

"I don't want to go," I reply. He just nods.

"I know you don't. But you know you can't skip this. They haven't let you skip it for the past five years," he says and I know he's right. I was the mockingjay, and they can't have their Victory Banquet without the mockingjay.

"I know," I say quietly. And I do. There's no way I can get out of this.

"Come eat. Will you pack while I'm at the bakery?" He asks out of courtesy. Of course he know I'll pack.

I sit down and look into his eyes.

"Yes Peeta," I say and I'm certain he can see the pain in my eyes.


	2. Hotel Gold

Sunday comes too quick. Peeta and I are dressed and ready to leave before dawn. We sit on our porch swing and drink tea as the sun comes up.

"I don't wanna go," I say breaking the quiet. Peeta sits still and we listen to the birds. The sun is his favorite color right now.

"I know," he finally says, "I don't want to either. We both have too many painful memories there. We have to though Katniss."

"I know," I say. Peeta looks in my eyes and takes my hand. After a minute he stares out at the sun again. After what seems like forever Haymitch comes outside and starts walking towards us. The sun is fully up now and as he gets closer I can see that he looks sober.

"Come on you two, we gotta catch the train in half an hour."

Peeta goes inside to grab our things and Haymitch grabs his suitcases.

"I'll grab one," I tell Peeta and although we have four altogether he only lets me carry one suitcase. He's sweet, but I wish he would just let me carry it.

We get to the train station and just like every year the whole district is there to see us off. As former victors, we are the only ones from District 12 invited to the Banquet. There is food shipped to all the Districts, though, and a feast is held in the square. Unlike before, no one is starving now.

The train pulls in the station and the three of us board. We put our bags down and wave to our district as the train pulls away. It reminds me of when Peeta first waved, on the way to the Capitol for our first games. The thought gives me a headache.

Peeta, Haymitch and I sit and talk for the majority of the day. When night falls, Peeta and I get up to go to a room, but Haymitch stays.

"Goodnight Haymitch," I say and he just waves at us and turns on the TV.

"I think he's been trying to stop drinking," Peeta says, "I haven't seen him drink for two weeks."

"I think that's a record for him. Why would he stop drinking though?"

Peeta's eyes sparkle mischievously as he answers, "Effie."

LINE BREAK

We arrive in the Capitol around nine in the morning. We are all wearing the same clothes as yesterday but none of us care. There will be a prep team assigned to the three of us and they make us look nice for the Banquet. Until then, they let us choose what we want to wear.

As we get off the train there is a big crowd waiting for us. It's not just the silly Capitol people though, there are people from every district here. We are famous, but more so respected and while many people scream our names many bow to us.

"Welcome back you three! I've missed you all so much," Effie greets us and we follow her out of the train station to a long black car. I think Effie called it a limo.

"As I'm sure you all already know you'll be staying in the finest hotel the Capitol has to offer. Everything you need has been provided and you need only ask for anything and it will be given to you. You guys should come visit my new home while you're here! I'll give you the address," Effie talks so fast I have a hard time keeping up.

"Oh Katniss I love what you've done with your hair!" She exclaims. A couple months ago Peeta cut it to my shoulder length and it's grown out a little. It's healthier now, and people have told me it's very soft. I just needed a change.

By this point we've arrived at the Gateway Hotel and I recognize it. It's very new, the first time we stayed in it was last year. The car pulls up to the front door and Peeta gets out first. As he grabs my hand to help me get out I notice there are bellhops grabbing our stuff. A rush of panic shoots through my body as I realize they're using avoxes.

"Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Mellark," one of them says.

"They're not avoxes, it's okay," Peeta whispers to me. I nod, but I'm still shaken up.

We enter the hotel and many people are already there. Gold is everywhere and the hotel is beautiful. Haymitch has already disappeared and so has Effie.

"Katniss, Peeta how are you?" Annie Cresta asks. I'm not sure whether to call her Cresta or Odair, but I don't want to ask.

"We're very good, how are you?" Peeta says.

"I'm good, Katniss your mother is over there with little Finn," Annie says. I look over and my mom is playing with him.

"How old is he now Annie?" I ask.

"He'll be five in August. He's growing up so fast," she replies. Finn looks like his father.

The three of us walk over to where my mother is sitting with Finn. She stands up when she sees us. She looks happy to see us, but it's probably Finn that makes her happy. Peeta walks over to Finn and spins him around. Peeta and Finn love each other and Peeta smile right now could light up the whole Capitol.

"Hi mom," I say and she immediately hugs me.

"Hey Katniss, I've missed you," she says.

"I've missed you too," I say, and suddenly tears are threatening to spill. I bury my face in her shoulder to compose myself and when I pull back she smiles at me.

"What room are you staying in?" She asks me.

"1223," I say, "what about you?"

"1278," she says, "same floor!"

"Are we allowed to go to our rooms yet? I'd like to drop our stuff off," I ask, but she shakes her head no.

"We are all being held in the lobby until everyone arrives," she replies. That's weird. Usually we're allowed in to check in as soon as we arrive.

"Well it's ten right now and the last train was scheduled to get here at 9:30 so they should get here soon," Annie says. She was talking to Peeta but him and Finn aren't here.

"Where are Peeta and Finn?" I ask.

"Peeta took Finn to the bathroom," she says.

"Oh there they are," my mom calls. Peeta and Finn are walking towards us holding hands. As they get closer I can see Peeta's face is beet red.

"Are you okay?" I ask. He nods and leans in to whisper in my ear.

"Haymitch and Effie were in the bathroom. They snuck off to make out," he says and laughs when I gasp.

"Honorary citizens of Panem, thank you all for attending our annual celebration of our Victory over former President, Mr. Cornelius Snow," President Paylor starts, "all of our guests have now arrived so you may now check in and head to your rooms. Lunch will be held at twelve for those who wish to attend. Please make yourselves at home here. Thank you."

When she's finished there is polite applause and everyone goes to get their room key.

"I'll go get it," Peeta says and he joins the long line of guests. Annie leaves Finn with me and we wait for them to come back.

"Auntie Katniss, will you tell me a story?" He asks. He uses his puppy dog eyes and I can't say no. His eyes are the same green as Finnick's were.

"What kind of story?" I ask.

"A fairytale!" He says. I don't remember any fairytales from when I was a child so I decide to make one up. I take him over to one of the shiny gold couches and he sits on my lap and looks up at me.

"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess named Primrose. Primrose had an older sister named Kitty who wasn't nearly as pretty or kind as Primrose. They lived in a huge castle in a far away kingdom. Everyday Prim would play with her best friend Rue. Primrose had long golden hair and Rue had short dark hair. They were both very young. One day, Rue was taken away from Prim and Kitty was sad. All Kitty wanted was for Prim to be happy. So Kitty went on a journey to find Rue. Kitty searched the whole kingdom but she never found Rue. When Kitty got back to the castle, Prim had married a handsome prince named Rory. Prim and Rory lived happily ever after, and Kitty was happy because Prim was happy. The end," I finish.

"Auntie Katniss," Finn asks.

"Yes?" I say.

"Was Kitty an actual kitty?" He asks.

"Sure," I laugh and my laugh makes him start laughing.

"Hey I'm back," Peeta says, walking back over to us. Annie is close behind him.

"Ready to go to our room Finn?" She asks him.

"Can I go with Aunt Katniss and Uncle Peeta?" He asks with pleading eyes.

"No but they can ride in the elevator with us," Annie says.

"YAYYY!" He exclaims so loudly people look over at us. We all laugh and start grabbing our bags.

"Alright let's go," says Peeta.


	3. Johanna and I love you

AN: this is the chapter where things start to pick up. The other two were fillers, kinda setting a backstory and filling in the five years I skipped. If you like this story please review! Also tell me what you thought of Mockingjay part 2!

Annie and Finn's room is the very first one right by the elevator. The wave to us and go into their room. Peeta, my mom and I walk down the hallway. They are making small talk but I don't listen. The hotel never fails to amaze me and I'm completely engrossed in the gold decor.

"Right Katniss?" Peeta says.

"Huh?" I stutter finally bringing myself into the conversation.

"We were talking about how President Paylor has done a wonderful job rebuilding everything," my mom says.

"Oh, yeah," I say and look around again.

"Alright this is our room," Peeta says, pulling our key out of the packet we received when he checked in.

"Are you two coming down for lunch?" My mom asks.

"No I think we're just going to stay in our room and order room service," I tell her. Even though it's been five years and Peeta's gotten better, if he gets too overwhelmed he could have an episode. Too many people from before could bring one on.

"Alright, do you want to go to dinner tonight? I could invite some others too," she asks. Peeta looks at me and nods eagerly.

"Sure," I say and then she turns and heads to her room.

Peeta opens the door and pulls me in. I laugh at his eagerness. He forcefully slams the door and pushes me up against it. He kisses me passionately and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around him and he carries me over to the couch. Like everything else in this place it's shiny gold. He sits down and sits me on his lap. I put my hands on his face and he wraps his around my waist. His breath is warm and his lips are as soft as ever. I move my hands down and begin unbuttoning his shirt. He looks at me, eyes wide, with that look he reserves just for me. I'm just about to kiss him again when there's a knock on the door. Peeta groans and I roll off of him frustrated. He walks over and opens the door.

"Hi guys!" Johanna practically screams when Peeta opens the door. I snort pretty loudly. She throws her arms around him and nearly knocks him over. Peeta staggers back when she lets go and makes her way towards me. I get up off the coach and try to make an escape. But she's quicker and grabs me and hugs me.

"Oh Katniss, I've missed you so much!" She says. I can barely breathe and shove her off of me. I start coughing and she dusts off her pants.

"Alright then. Hope you both know I didn't miss you that much. I just wanted to annoy you," she states.

Peeta laughs and says, "oh we know." As soon as I've regained my breathe I laugh too and Johanna walks towards the door. She almost gone when she turns around again

"Oh but I really did miss you guys. You should come visit me sometime!" She says and then slams the door. I have no idea where she lives and neither does Peeta. We go back over to the couch and sit down, both still laughing. We order lunch and watch TV and both of us fall asleep.

{timeskip}

It's nearly 6:00 and we're supposed to be meeting my mother (and whoever else she invited) for dinner at 6:15. I've been ready for a while now but Peeta's still in the bathroom. After I showered I slipped on a green shirt and plain black pants. I braided my wet hair and I've been waiting for Peeta for about 20 minutes.

"Are you almost done?" I call.

"Yes I'll be out in a second," he replies. A minute later he opens the bathroom door (which is not surprisingly gold) and I turn to look at him. He's wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans but he looks as handsome as ever. I'm pretty sure I'm grinning.

"Alright let's go," he says and we head out the door. It's a short elevator ride down to the main floor and fortunately no one joins us. When the elevator dings we step out and are greeted by the elaborate gold decorations and people everywhere. It seems like more people have arrived since this morning.

We quickly make our way out of the crowded lobby and head towards the back of the building where the restaurant is. My mother wanted to go to a quieter one a couple blocks from here, but my name still hasn't officially been cleared. I haven't been pardoned for my crimes yet and although Paylor plans to hold a ceremony especially for that the day after the banquet (she called me a couple months ago) I'm still too nervous to walk through the streets of the Capitol.

There is a long line when we reach the restaurant but Peeta tells the hostess my mother is already here she lets us pass. We scan the dim room looking for her.

"There she is," I tell him, pointing to the corner. She's sitting with someone else too, though I can't tell from over here.

"Is that Plutarch?" Peeta asks me when we're still out of earshot. Peeta holds a grudge against Plutarch. I don't blame him.

"Katniss, Peeta how nice to see you!" He says to us. I politely smile towards him and Peeta just nods. We sit down across from them and an uncomfortable silence hangs in the air. Plutarch clears his throat.

"Well, I was just telling your mother about how lovely it is to see so many people gathered here. Tuesday will be a life changing night, I'm sure of that," and having said that he nods and leaves.

"Why was he sitting here?" I ask my mom.

"I was sitting alone waiting for you two and he just sat down. He's not a horrible man Katniss," she tells me.

"What did he mean by 'Tuesday will be a life changing night'?" Peeta asks her. At this she just shrugs looks at her menu.

{timeskip}

It's nearly eleven o'clock when Peeta and I finally settle into bed.

"I'm going to have nightmares," he whispers.

"I know," I say back, "me too. If you feel an episode starting, wake me up, okay?"

"Okay."

"Peeta?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Kat."

And with that I drift off into a nightmare filled sleep.


	4. The Streets of the Capitol

I wake up early the next morning, just as the sun is rising. Peeta's already awake, sitting out on the balcony drinking hot chocolate. I go into the bathroom and wash my face. Neither of us slept well last night. So many nightmares plagued us and being in the Capitol brings them all back. Usually, I'll have one or two a night. Last night it was like every nightmare I've ever had came back.

Once I'm done I go out on the balcony with Peeta. He smiles at me and motions for me to sit on his lap. He's wearing a t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. It's chilly this morning and I'm wearing shorts so I go over and snuggle into him.

"I left a cup of hot chocolate in the microwave for you," he says.

"Thank you," I say back, "what time is it?"

"Almost seven," he answers, "Gale stopped by early this morning."

My head jerks up at this. Why would Gale want to see us?

"He asked if we would meet him for lunch at Cafe Song. He also asked that we didn't tell anyone where we going or that we were meeting him."

"Why?" I ask. I can't think of any reason why we would have to meet him in secret. Gale would never hurt us, but I'm still wary of him. He's a big shot in the Capitol. He worked in District 2 for three years and he was promoted to working in the Capitol. I have no idea what he does, but I hear he's very important.

Peeta just shrugs and pulls me close again. I breathe in his scent (cinnamon and herbs) and it relaxes me. He hasn't been baking for a few days but the smell always lingers on his skin. Peeta makes me feel things no one else can. It's amazing how much he can affect me.

"I think we should go in," Peeta whispers.

"Okay," I say and get up. I grab his empty cup as he puts the chair back and we slip inside. I put his cup in the sink and he shuts and locks the balcony door and shuts the curtain.

"There were people taking pictures of us," he explains. I just nod and sigh.

"I wish they would just leave us alone," I say.

"Me too. We're not Capitol celebrities anymore, we haven't been for a while. They should respect our wishes to be left alone," he says. After I don't reply he adds, "why don't we get dressed?"

{timeskip}

It's almost noon when we leave the hotel and head to Cafe Song. The streets are crowded but we reach the small restaurant in under half an hour. A couple people offered us rides in their cars, but Peeta politely refused. We'd be stupid to get in their cars.

The outside of the cafe is fairly modest, considering we're in the Capitol. Brown bricks and a white sign is all that we see. I've never been here before but it feels like a calm restaurant where you'd meet someone in secret. It's not on the main road and it was a little hard to find.

We walk in and immediately spot Gale. He's sitting alone at a small booth. The entire restaurant looks smaller than our hotel room. No one else is here and it's eerily quiet.

"Hey," Peeta greets him as we sit down.

"Katniss, Peeta," Gale acknowledges us though he looks nervous. What did he want to tell us? Why is it so important we had to meet here?

The server comes over and asks us if we're ready to order. We all order lamb stew and get breadsticks to share. Our waiter (I learn his name is June) brings us all ice water.

"Is there anything else I could get for you?" June asks.

Gale looks at us and then says, "could you turn on the radio? Preferably to a music station?"

June nods and mumbles 'of course' and then he walks to a back room and a minute later we hear soft music playing. When he doesn't walk back out, Gale turns to us and begins talking.

"Something's going on. Something big. They're not telling me anything but I can tell. Plutarch is involved I think," he blurts out so fast I can barely understand what he's saying.

"Plutarch told us something yesterday at dinner. Something about how the banquet will be unforgettable," Peeta says.

"What do you think they're planning to do?" I ask.

"I have no idea. At all," Gale answers. At this I put my head in my hands. After all we fought for, I don't think we should be throwing it away. I don't know if I could handle it. Peeta rubs soothing circles on my back.

"We should tell Haymitch. He'd know better than us what to do," Peeta says.

"I already did. He told me to tell you guys but to know there's nothing we can do. He said it's probably nothing and I'm being paranoid," Gale replies.

Our food comes soon after and we eat in comfortable silence. After more small talk Peeta pays for the food and the three of us leave.

"I have to get back to work, I'll see you guys later," Gale tells us, and then he's gone. Peeta and I start walking back hand in hand. We're not rushed this time and walk at a more leisurely pace.

"Do you mind if we stop in here?" Peeta asks me when we get to a bakery. The window is filled with elaborate cakes and pastries. I'm reminded of how Prim would drag me to the Mellark Bakery to look at the cakes, which I now know Peeta made. I shake my head no and we walk inside. I notice Peeta has a grin on his face, and since his smile is contagious I start to smile too.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, what a pleasure to see you! What brings you here?" The owner asks. He's wearing a flour covered apron and he has an accent I can't place. He's definitely not from the Capitol.

"We were admiring your cakes in the window. Did you make them yourself?" Peeta asks him. The man's face lights up and he eagerly nods.

"Those are my prize winning cakes. Would you like to try one I just made?" He asks and this time it's Peeta whose eagerly nodding. He hasn't let go of my hand this whole time and when the owner beckons him over he pulls me over too.

The cake he pulls out is covered with yellow frosting. He cuts us a slice and I can see that the inside is carrot cake. Peeta tells me about all the cakes he makes and he's even shipping them out of our district. He hands us a fork and Peeta takes the first bite. He nods and hands me the plate and fork and begins talking to the baker about it. I think he's giving him advice. I try a small bite and although carrot cake isn't my favorite, it's pretty good. Peeta turns and smiles at me.

"How do you like it?" the baker asks.

"It's very good," I reply. The frosting melts in your mouth and is a sweet vanilla.

"Here is my card," he tells Peeta, "please feel free to stop by whenever you'd like."

"Thank you very much," Peeta replies.

"You've been very kind," I add and the man smiles. Peeta smiles and nods and we walk outside.

"How long were we in there?" Peeta asks.

"Almost half an hour," I reply, "it's about five o'clock we really should be heading back."

"Alright let's get going!" he exclaims and swings my arm back and forth. Peeta knows just how to make me laugh when I need it, and despite our meeting with Gale our day has been pretty good considering we're in the Capitol.

We walk along the sidewalk and Peeta tells me we're still a block away from the hotel. Surprisingly, there aren't that many people along this road. But when we turn into the main road we catch sight of a newspaper vendor and as we get closer we can hear what he's calling.

"Read all about the people who have been invited to the banquet! Victors Katniss, Peeta, Johanna, Beetee, and Enobaria and Haymitch! See exclusive pictures of them!" the man calls. Peeta lets go of my hand and marches straight up to him. Normally I would be the one to react like this but the fact that I'm tired and I've been peaceful for five years has subdued me a bit.

On the front page of the newspaper is the picture of me and Peeta on the balcony this morning. Right next to it is a picture of Annie and Finn holding hands and buying sweets. This is enough to make me mad, so before Peeta has an outburst I decide I will. I'm the one who's 'crazy' anyway.

"Who do you think you are selling these magazines, exposing people's personal lives? Can't you just give us some privacy?" I yell. The man pales as if he weren't expecting anyone to confront him.

"Ma'am I just sell these, if you want to file a complaint call my boss," he tells me.

"You know what I just might, what's his phone number?" I ask. He quickly scratches it down on a newspaper and hands it to me. At this point a small crowd has started to gather but I don't care. Peeta seems to though and he pulls me away and we start the walk to the hotel with both of us infuriated. We pass through the gold front doors and head straight to the elevators making it so that no one else catches sight of us. We go right to our rooms and Peeta bolts the door behind us.

"I can't believe this!" he exclaims, "you'd think after all this time they'd just leave us alone! I'm going to call the company." he says and I hand him the paper and head off to the shower. I peel off my clothes and only then do I start to worry about the banquet. I step in and turn the water on and every drop brings something else to mind. What is Plutarch planning? Gale said it might be nothing, might be a good surprise but I'm not convinced. Gale has good instincts and he wouldn't have brought it up if he wasn't worried.

Through the water I can hear the sounds of Peeta arguing. He means the best but his feud with the media will probably not end well for him. They could even publish his conversation with the man's boss in the morning paper.

I turn off the water and quickly towel off. It's probably around six now and Peeta wanted to make me dinner. It's quiet and I hear the sounds of his shuffling around which means he most likely started. I walk out to see him angrily throwing ingredients into a bowl.

"Don't let them get to you," I tell him. He turns around to face me and I can tell he's really upset.

"I know I shouldn't but I can't help it you know? I'm just tired of them watching us."

"I know but in just two days we'll be home again and there will be no cameras to watch us. Just you and me."

"And Haymitch," he jokes. I snort.

"And there's the Peeta I know. Glad to have you back."

"Oh by the way Katniss there's a letter on the table for you."

Ugh, what now? I walk over and find it's from my prep team. It's more of a note than a letter and all it says is they'll be here at noon tomorrow to get me and Peeta ready for the banquet.

"The prep team will be here at noon tomorrow," I say.

"Aww does little Katniss need help getting ready?" he teases.

"Yeah and so does little Peeta," I taunt right back and he looks taken aback. I laugh and go over to him.

"Is dinner ready yet?"


End file.
